Ultraflexible and transparent thin-film and two-dimensional electronics for multi-scale neural interface applications

17th November 2021

Timing : 1 pm EST

Please use this zoom link for joining the webinar


For a list of all talks at the NanoBio seminar Series Fall'21, see here


Over the last decade there has been an emergence of clinical Brain Computer Interfaces research. In parallel, the microelectronics industry has pushed towards smaller and modular technologies based on flexible circuit platforms. The marriage of these two seemingly disparate technologies has led to a new class of neural devices, based on thin- film MEMS polymer processing technology. These devices are small, flexible, foldable and form spontaneous adhesion to the brain surface, allowing the electrodes to form intimate contact with the convoluted surface of the cortex. This talk will focus on more recent developments in this area that take advantage of ultra-thin electronic substrates and 2-Dimensional materials. These devices have the added advantages of being ulta-flexible and optically transparent, opening up the potential to integrate neural recording and stimulation with imaging and optogenetics. These devices also confer unique mechanical properties that can be leveraged to self-assemble devices into complex shapes that can mimic natural neural architectures. Thin-film flexible electronics hold great promise for interfacing with other parts of the nervous system as well and this talk will highlight ongoing research in the field, covering applications including peripheral nerve stimulation, electro-retinal devices and neural cell culture platforms.



Snow
Justin Williams, PhD
Harvey Spangler Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor of Neurological Surgery
Co-Director: Wisconsin Institute for Translational Neuroengineering
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Dr. Williams received his undergraduate degrees from South Dakota State University in Mechanical Engineering and Physics and went on to obtain a Masters and Ph.D. from Arizona State University in Bioengineering. He completed postdoctoral fellowships in Neural Engineering at the University of Michigan and Neurosurgery at the University of Wisconsin. He is currently the Harvey Spangler Professor of Biomedical Engineering and the Vilas Distinguished Professor of Neurological Surgery at the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Williams is also the Co-Director of the Wisconsin Institute for Translational Neuroengineering, which centers on parallel translation of engineered devices for study and treatment of neurological disease. He has received numerous awards for his work, including being named a Clinical Research Scholar by the NIH and the Coulter Young Investigator Award for Translational Research. Dr. Williams is a fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society and the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering. He has published over 150 papers that have been collectively cited more than 10,000 times. He has also co-founded multiple medical device startups, several of which have gone on to become publicly traded companies with FDA approved devices.